Kurt Gray, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kurt Gray, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. His research examines the psychology of morality, politics, religion, and artificial intelligence, focusing on how people make moral judgments and bridge political divides. Gray earned his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Harvard University.
Gray has published over 120 peer-reviewed papers, with his work appearing in top journals like Science, PNAS, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He has received numerous awards, including the Janet Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Research and the Sage Young Scholar Award, for his work uncovering the psychological roots of morality, group conflict, and how create understanding across differences.
Gray is the author of The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters, which The Wall Street Journal praised as “compelling and beautifully written.” His new book, Outraged: Why We Fight about Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground, argues that our moral divisions stem from different perceptions of harm, not fundamentally different values. Described as “eye-opening” and “humanizing,” Outraged offers a new understanding of political conflict and insights on bridging divides.
Gray is a Field Builder with New Pluralists, a collaborative aimed at fostering pluralism across the United States. He shares his work with a broad audience through his popular course, The Science of Moral Understanding, and his Substack newsletter, Moral Understanding. His research has been covered by major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Economist, Science Magazine, and The New Yorker.
